There is a newish – and very welcome – tradition whereby writers focus on the females in Greek myths. Haynes wears many hats, and tackles this with at least three of them. As a classicist, she has translated and studied Greek texts. As a film reviewer, she marries these ancient texts with contemporary adaptations, providing a springboard into storylines (such as Artemis and ‘The Hunger Games’). And as a comedian, she knows where the laughs will come from. This helps to counterbalance any hubris.
Haynes begins with the Muses. This may not seem logical – shouldn’t Hera, the queen of the gods be first? As Haynes states, the poets, such as Homer and Hesiod, acknowledge that their stories wouldn’t exist but for the Muses. Perhaps Haynes is also shielding Hera. She’s not popular, as she’s seen as unnecessarily vengeful, however she does have to put up with her husband’s (Zeus’s) infidelities.
For goddesses and female mortals alike, the Greek countryside is a ‘source of sexual threat and constant anxiety’. Three goddesses, Artemis, Athene and Hestia, refuse to have romantic relationships with men. Aphrodite, of course, doesn’t concur. Demeter is the saddest goddess, grieving for her daughter, Persephone, who was taken to the Underworld and raped by her uncle. Haynes ends with the Furies: the three goddesses charged with retribution. It’s a reminder that the rules of society should be followed.
Disappointingly, males still dominate parts of the narrative in Divine Might. There are also lots of names to navigate, even for the same goddess, which can be confusing. These are small misgivings. Haynes knows her subject and communicates it wonderfully.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORNatalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster and – according to the Washington Post – a rock star mythologist. Her first novel, The Amber Fury, was published to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, as was The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, her previous book. Her second novel, The Children of Jocasta, was published in 2017.
Her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships, was published in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020. It has been translated into multiple languages. Her most recent non-fiction book, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myth was published in Oct 2020, and reached number 2 in the New York Times Bestseller chart. Her novel about Medusa, Stone Blind, was published in Sep 2022 and Margaret Atwood liked it. So did Neil Gaiman.
She has spoken on the modern relevance of the classical world on three continents, from Cambridge to Chicago to Auckland.
She writes for the Guardian. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4: eight series of her show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, have been broadcast on Radio 4: all series are available now on BBC Sounds. She will make series 9 in 2023.
0 Comments